Man Friday
by Ivy Kendall
Summary: Sharon and Andy spend the evening remembering the past, talking about the present, and planning for the future. (And so maybe this wasn't a one-off after all. Thanks to the encouragement of a number of you, I will continue and see where this goes.)
1. Chapter 1

Prompt: Then and Now

"Flynn, you coming?" Provenza called over as he grabbed his coat.

"Nah, you go. I've got some paperwork to finish," Flynn shot back, not even looking up.

"Paperwork, my ass," Provenza grumbled as he left his desk.

Andy looked up briefly at Provenza's retreating back, then returned to the papers on his desk. The old man had been in a funk for weeks, and it irked Flynn that Provenza was drawing a line in the sand. Situations change, workplaces change, bosses change, it's the nature of the beast. Some days is took everything Flynn had not to cut Provenza off at the knees and point out what everyone else saw - that the new management was giving the old geezer more power and less responsibility than the old guard.

Slowly the younger detectives left, off to home or a night on the town. It had been a long week, though not as grueling as some. They had only caught one murder, and that had been a pimp who was ultimately brought down by 'his girls'. It was hard to get choked up over that one, but it demanded the same thoroughness as all the other cases they dealt with, including the mountain of paperwork needed to finish up the files.

"Aren't you leaving, Lt?" Sanchez asked on his way passed.

"In a bit. I'd rather not have to face this on Monday morning."

"Understood, Sir. Would you like me to turn off the overhead lights on the way out?"

"Yeah, thanks. They're starting to give me a headache anyway. Time to shut this place down for the weekend."

"Well, you have a good weekend."

"You too, Sanchez," Flynn waved him off, and adjusted the light on his desk just as the overheads were turned off.

They might be considered the 'elites' in the LAPD, but one of the problems being so elite was they all had their preferred way of taking notes that belied their years of active service, and Flynn was getting pretty tired of reading Provenza's chicken scratch when he could see the thorough prose of Skyes already inputted into the system through her tablet. At least Provenza wasn't taking his anger out on the cases. He still picked up on things the others missed from time to time, and was just as sharp as ever - even if he was a mean bastard about it.

"Have I told you how much I appreciate you doing this?" came a voice from behind him.

Without looking up, Flynn smiled "Every week, like clockwork."

"Well, I do."

"You're welcome."

Flynn couldn't keep the grin off his face as he heard the hum behind him fade into the office. Paperwork wasn't his favourite way to spend an evening, but he enjoyed their time to just be colleagues without all the politics and jockeying for position that happened when the full team was in. Besides, he knew how hard it was for Sharon, going from the decided enemy of the team to their new leader. She made a point of walking gently even in those stilettos, which in turn made Provenza even more determined to jump at her every chance he had. If the level of respect for his abilities wasn't so high, she would have Provenza drawn up on charges of insubordination every other hour. But that wasn't her style.

After another half hour at his desk, Andy was ready to turn off his laptop and put the completed reports in the file for the box. He was about to lean back and stretch, when a sandwich invaded his peripheral vision.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I'm assuming that's rhetorical?" she giggled.

Andy smiled. Sharon was completely professional in the office at all times, so for her to giggle meant she was relaxed and out of professional mode. He always liked it when they got to this point in their evening. He also noted her appearance. Gone were the shoes that looked impossible to walk in, as was her suit jacket. Instead she was in her stocking feet with the sleeves of her blouse rolled up and her usually immaculate hair, piled in a messy heap on the top of her head.

"Not tuna, I hope," Andy replied, earning him outright laughter.

"Oh my god, do you remember that? I don't think I've eaten tuna since that day."

"What I remember is you in that awful orange suit, having to climb into that dumpster by the docks." He took the wrapping off his sandwich and spread out his legs.

Sharon pushed the items on Amy's desk aside so she could sit on the end, grateful she had chosen pants that day. "I don't think I ate fish for an entire decade after that. God, what they made the new recruits do. Sometimes I wonder if I was punished more because I wasn't one of the guys."

"Of course you were," he replied nonchalantly, "it was the 70's."

"Mmm.." Sharon nodded, then took a bite of her own sandwich.

"But you weren't alone. I helped, if you remember."

Smiling at him, Sharon nodded. "Yeah, you were a real gentleman. You even held my hand as I climbed down into a stinking bin full garbage, that probably had been sitting in the sun for two weeks."

"Hey, I got in there too, don't forget."

"Yes you did - after the bin became like quicksand and nearly sucked me in."

"Oh" he shook his head, "I remember that part different. I got in that can and spent half my time making sure you didn't fall over. Your hair was up, like it is now, and I tried my hardest to get some of the fish guts off before you noticed. You didn't scream though, and that's what the others thought you would do."

"I had to work doubly hard to prove I was half as good. Has it changed that much, do you think?"

"Women in the force? Yeah, I think so. And I think you did a lot to improve things."

"When I joined IA? You felt so betrayed by that, didn't you." It was a statement, not a question.

Andy looked down at his feet for a while. "Yeah... well I was hitting the bottle pretty heavy by then."

"Did I make it worse?" The mood between them had shifted considerably.

"At the time? Yeah, I was prepared to blame you, but no, it wasn't you. I was angry at a whole lot of things."

"I'd already slept with him by then, you know" she said softly, not sure what Andy would say next.

"I did the math after, but at the time I felt you deserted me."

"I'm sorry. I don't think I handled things very well back then myself."

"Aw Shar, I was a drunk, and you were pregnant and engaged to someone who didn't deserve you. We were both pretty stupid about things. After I got sober, one of the things I always regretted was introducing you to Rick in the first place."

"Don't. Don't ever do that. It's not your fault he turned out to be such a jerk. And besides, without him I wouldn't have my kids. I don't regret that for a minute."

"I was pretty proud of you, you know. I didn't say anything at the time, but I was really proud of the way you walked out on him with those two little kids. That had to be hard for you, but you did it."

"Hmm..." she smiled ruefully, "the negativity at work felt like a vacation compared to what he was giving me. At least the kids were never put in a bad situation."

Andy nodded, knowing she had more to say.

"You know the really awful thing, is that I didn't see any of it coming. I was a professional investigator, and I didn't even notice that my husband was cheating on me and trying to wipe out my bank account."

"Shar," he looked up quickly, "don't do that to yourself. Don't. Look, how many of us can figure out what's going on with each other but we're blind when it comes to ourselves? I've seen it a million time. We think we'll catch anything suspicious in our own families and we don't. Or worse, we become suspicious of everything and ruin some good things. So you didn't see him cheating at first. You did eventually, and you stopped it. Look Shar, you had two small children, you were working fulltime, and you were trying to keep a family together without any help from your husband. That's a lot, even for the great Sharon Raydor to handle."

Sharon smirked. "I used to watch you, you know."

"Watch me what? At work?"

"No. I know you sat outside my home some nights. I know you were there to protect me. I didn't say anything, but when I was transferred to this department, I figured you would be either the first or the last to support me. But back then, I knew I still mattered."

"Once partners, always partners."

"Not always."

"Always!"

Sharon smiled at the strength of his conviction, and they both ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Why did you call me personally when you were attacked a few years ago?" she wanted to know.

"You want the official version or the real one?"

"Real would be nice."

"Okay, well officially, you were FID, and even I do things by the book occasionally." That earned him another giggle. "But unofficially... unofficially, you were the first person I thought of. If I was going to buy it, I wanted to say goodbye to you and apologize for the way I'd treated you all those years."

"Andy, it wasn't you, it was the alcohol."

"Nah, I'm not giving myself that excuse. I was a compete bastard to you, I yelled at you and you were only doing your job. I resented like hell that you and me were on opposite sides when we'd started out together."

"Your jacket was pretty thick by the time it got to me. I know that was your doing, but sometimes I wondered if I could have kept you inline if I'd stayed with you rather than asking for the transfer."

"Yeah, you probably could have. But that's a hell of a load to put on my partner. I had to clean myself up."

"And you did. I'm really proud of you, you know. But sometimes... What do you think would have happened if we had helped each other instead of being miles apart?"

"What would have happened? Oh, I don't know. I guess I should say I would have stopped drinking immediately and you would have had someone you could count on to help you at work. The truth is probably a lot different."

Nodding, Sharon looked a million miles away. "Yeah, we would have been in bed together in no time."

Now it was Andy's turn to chuckle. "No one should make dress blues look as sexy as you do."

"Flatterer you. Some of those nights when I saw you outside my house, I really wanted to invite you in."

"I would have come" he said earnestly, looking her in the eye.

"I know, that's probably what kept me from doing it. It would have created even more problems."

"So your choice has been to stay celibate since Rick."

"Not celibate, just single."

"Oh, that's something I really didn't need to know."

"Need to know or want to know? It's still here, Andy, and we both know it."

"Yeah, it's still here. You'd think with everything we've done to each other and have had happen, that it would be long gone."

"I like how it's matured, don't you?"

"You think I don't want to sleep with you anymore? I'm not that 'matured' you know," he smiled at her.

"Neither am I. It's not the right time, but while we wait for it to be right, it's nice to know I have my partner back. It's wonderful just to have you walk down the hall with me again, talking about the case or anything else that is going on. I have missed you for a very long time, you know."

"I've missed you too, Shar. And it feels right to be your Man Friday. There's something really poetic about that."

"Helping each other avoid the cannibals?" she laughed.

"Got that right."

He stood and pulled her down from the desk and into his arms. Sharon breathed deeply, enjoying being wrapped in such strength.

"You know," she started, "it wasn't right back then, it's not the time now, but someday... someday it will be the perfect time."

"Someday soon... that's a promise." He looked down and kissed her gently on the lips, as only friends-who-will-be-lovers-some-day could.


	2. Chapter 2

Rusty watched from across the room for a long time. He didn't completely understand the case everyone was working on, but he knew it had something to do with a dead activist, some politicians and a teen prostitute. That wasn't the interesting thing, though. He was watching two people specifically, people who he thought he understood, but were acting differently than they normally did. He was pretty good at reading people, especially men, so it really bothered him to watch Flynn acting one way with his body and another way through his language. Which was the real deal, Rusty wondered. Usually people's bodies told the whole truth and their language was the lies, but his experience with the Lt. was that Flynn was as good as his word.

He knew Sharon was agitated more than normal, but that started when she was talking to a social worker about teen prostitutes. Rusty could see Sharon watch him out of the corner of his eye, and it took everything he had to pretend he was oblivious to her actions. He tried all the time to forget what he had done, and Sharon never ever brought it up at home, but it was always hanging there just under the surface. The case couldn't help but bring it up for Sharon, and he really wondered what the social worker must have said to her to get Sharon so worried about him. He had to keep his back to her so he could keep pretending nothing was going on.

However Flynn was another deal entirely. When Rusty had met them in the hall earlier, talking to his own social worker, Cynthia, they had been acting off. Sharon was a little too quick to laugh at his lame Catholic joke, and Flynn looked almost too happy. It was weird. Even Cynthia was on edge. He was pretty sure they were talking about him, but everyone was saying otherwise. Rusty decided it was better just to hang back and see how things played out.

So there he was, watching the Lt. with Sharon. If Rusty didn't know better, he would say Flynn was trying to resist holding Sharon's hand, but that wasn't possible. Everyone in the department, from old grumpy-grumps on down, hated that Sharon was now in charge of Major Crimes, so Flynn wouldn't be making nice with her right there in front of everyone. To the best of Rusty's knowledge, they didn't even know each other very well. Sharon didn't talk about her team when they were at home, and when he was in the offices of Major Crimes, he could see that they really didn't trust her. So why was Lt. Flynn almost... protective of Sharon?

Protective, that was the word. Sharon looked upset and Lt. Flynn looked like he was trying to make her feel better. Why would he even care? Rusty had seen the Lt. whispering in Sharon's ear a few times, but Sharon's reaction told Rusty it was all work and nothing personal. Whenever Flynn did it, Sharon would nod and the two would be walking off somewhere. Sharon's face was as unreadable as ever. When he had first met her, Rusty thought this was the only expression she had, but after weeks living with her and spending all his free time under her supervision, he came to realize this was her Captain face. Her Sharon faces ran the gamut from angry to laughing, to pointed, to sad, and everything in between. But at work it was always the same. Rusty wouldn't even know she was worried about something if he didn't know her that well. Flynn wouldn't know her well enough to see the worry, that's for sure.

Off they went again into her office. Sharon pulled the blinds so no one could see. Rusty knew he should have walked away and gone to the break-room to get his drink for himself after all, but he had learned to respect what was happening with the cases. The last thing he needed to see was Sharon both upset and angry at him. He had angered her to the point of silence once, and that was enough for him.

Somehow, though, he didn't feel he could walk away, so he sat down on one of the unoccupied desks and waited for Sharon and Lt. Flynn to emerge from her office. It took almost ten minutes, but finally they came out. Sharon was walking a little stiffer than normal, but again Rusty didn't think anyone would notice aside from himself. Whatever Flynn had said had been upsetting, because when they emerged, he had his hand in the small of her back, almost pushing her forward. Maybe that was why she was walking a little stiffer. Maybe she was trying to move away from his hand without insulting him openly. Whatever was going on, Rusty did not like it.

Rusty kept watching the two of them under the pretense of reading his novel, and was glad to see the Lt. go in one direction to the interview rooms while Sharon went towards the observation room. He didn't know how protective he needed to be, and Sharon would probably tell him to mind his own business anyway. Rusty just wished the squad would lighten up and see what a good person she really was. He also wished Flynn and Provenza would leave her alone and stop trying to make her life miserable.

A while later, Rusty realized he still hadn't received his promised soda, so he banged on the window to remind Sharon. At this point Flynn had left and Sharon was working with Provenza. It seemed apparent to Rusty that Flynn was the problem because old grumpy-grumps seemed to be helping Sharon figure something out, rather than treating her like she was beneath him. Perhaps old Provenza was getting better, just as Sharon had said he was. Rusty hoped so for Sharon's sake. From what Rusty could see, Sharon was bringing home less paperwork than she used to, which could only mean she was doing her job well at the office so she didn't have much overtime. Provenza had to stop complaining at some point.

Sharon brought Rusty his drink, but the rest of the afternoon was a complete blur to him. He remembered getting really mad at Sharon and making her cry. He had never done that before and he was devastated. Provenza even knew Rusty had crossed an important line. He didn't know how he would possibly make it up to Sharon afterwards.

Rusty wanted to run away and forget everything that had happened that day, but he couldn't. He was legally bound to stay close to Sharon and the last time he ran to hide, he had scared her. This time she was already upset with him, so he couldn't make it worse. He didn't know what to do, and then he saw Lt. Flynn looking at him.

"What do you want?" Rusty sneered.

"Just to see how you're doing, Kid."

Rusty paced back and forth for a minute behind the divide where 'his' desk was set up. He was glad for the barriers between himself and the rest of the desks. It was somewhere he could hide a little and pretend he was by himself.

Stopping, he looked at Flynn again, "Why is it every time something goes bad in my life, you're here?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"We don't need you, you know." Rusty spat, then flopped down in his chair.

"We?"

Rusty just scoffed at the Lt. again and refused to look him in the eye. What could he possibly say that would matter anyway. No matter how much he might have thought Flynn was hurting Sharon, he knew he hurt her far worse.

"Lt" Sharon said behind him, and Flynn immediately went to speak quietly with Sharon. Her entire expression changed for a moment, and Rusty saw it before she put on her Captain Face again. He also watched as Flynn reached up and squeezed her forearm briefly. Sharon smiled, nodded and then walked in one direction while Flynn walked in the other. Both of them had stayed behind his divide so no one could see them except Rusty, but even he didn't know what had just happened.

Later that evening, Rusty lay in a heap on his bed. He had tried to be strong. He had tried to honour Sharon's bravery by going to see this Dunn person who called himself Rusty's father, but he just couldn't. One look at the man and Rusty ran. This stranger looked at him so expectantly and Rusty just couldn't do it. He was such a failure.

Sharon knocked on his door a couple of times, but Rusty wouldn't come out. He tried to assure her he wasn't angry, but they both knew it was a lie.

The entire apartment was dark and quiet by the time Rusty finally emerged. He was hungry and had to go to the bathroom. He crept down the hallway, not wanting to disturb Sharon. It was well after midnight, way past when she liked to be in bed, but sometimes she couldn't sleep any better than he could. The drapes were drawn across the windows to the patio, but Rusty could see that the doors were open. The bottle of wine was on the counter, and Sharon's bedroom door was open. Both were clear signs that she wasn't asleep either. Rusty stood in the dark for a few minutes, listening for Sharon to figure out where she was. There was nothing to hear, and then he heard a light laugh coming from the patio.

Rusty knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he couldn't help it. He needed to know she was okay and that she wasn't still mad at him. Even though Sharon had told him she understood, and had assured him when they got home that her own children had gotten mad at her from time to time so she was used to it, it still didn't make him feel any better. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, and knowing he could be caught at any moment, Rusty inched closer to the billowing curtains and listened.

"Really? I didn't know you knew about that. It was... what... fifteen years ago?"

Rusty wondered who she was talking to. Fifteen years ago meant it wasn't about him.

"Mmm... that's true," she said, and Rusty could hear her place her wine glass on the table, then shift a little in her seat.

"Oh, he will be. Today was quite a shock for him, but he will be okay. He's lucky to have you. We both are."

Now he knew Sharon was talking about him, and he didn't like being the topic of conversation. Who did he and Sharon know that would be talking to her at this hour?

"Okay, You, everything is quiet here so I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. I will need all the strength I can get to deal with this fresh hell that is Mr. Dunn."

Rusty hurried down the hall and into his room before Sharon collected everything she had outside with her on the patio, and come in. He kept the door open just a bit so he could continue hearing her conversation.

"Mmmm... sounds heavenly. I'm going to hold you to that. Good night."

He was no further ahead knowing who Sharon was talking to, and his hunger had turned into dread.

"No... I mean it. Good night" Sharon giggled.

Sharon giggled?

"I really mean it this time. Fine, get it if you want to. You know what I like."


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon rolled her shoulders, trying to get the tension reduced between her shoulder blades. She had no idea how she was dealing with the stress of everything in the department as well as at home. Usually she would just go down the range, shoot off a few rounds at imaginary bad guys - or the mental image of some very real bad guys - swim the sweat off then go home. From time to time a good, full on run helped her get things in perspective and into manageable proportions as well. But somehow, she knew neither stress relief would make it go away.

"What's up, Cap't?" came a familiar call from her doorway.

Expecting her smile, Andy was stunned when she turned with tears in her eyes. Quickly he closed the doors, making sure the blinds were down, then pulled her into his arms. Making soothing sounds and stroking the back of her head like one would a child, Andy gently rocked her and let her get control of herself. He knew the last thing Sharon Raydor ever did was fall apart in front of others, and he always felt privileged that she trusted him enough to see the occasional crack.

"Shh, Baby... just breathe it out." He knew she wouldn't cry.

She took a few minutes, enjoying having someone lighten the load. Even if only for a moment, she needed to give up her burdens.

"Oh, I can't do that often." She said, dabbing under her eyes to make sure her makeup hadn't smudged.

"You don't do that often enough."

Sharon smiled at him again. "I really am so glad you're here."

"Me to," he grinned. "So, it's pretty big to get that reaction. What's up?"

Without ceremony, Sharon handed Andy the pictures she had taken of Rusty the night before.

"Son of a bitch!" he said, as he sat down and looked at each of the photos over and over again. "This Dunn's handiwork?"

"Mmmm" she replied, moving her chair behind her desk. "Rusty was already home Saturday night when I returned. He didn't want me to see this, of course. Apparently the fiance had been needling Rusty about how he survived without his mother all those months, so he finally told her. She got self-righteous, Daniel must have sensed his meal ticket was getting ready to call off everything, and this was the outcome."

"Poor kid. How is he now?"

"About how you'd expect. Sore. Resolved. Afraid of what's coming next. He's also afraid that I might take matters into my own hands."

"Humph... he should be. When you're loaded you don't miss." He couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he said it.

"Thank you so much for your support," Sharon replied sarcastically.

"Aw Shar, you know what I mean. You're not like me and go off half-cocked. When you go after someone, they rarely escape with their lives. I know you, you're already thinking. So, what's the plan?"

"You're assuming I have one."

"Hello, I'm Andy Flynn. Have we met?" he responded, putting out his hand to shake in introduction.

"Fine, fine," she waved him off. "You know, we talked about the sexual tension between us, but sometimes I'm more interested in punching you."

"That could be fun."

Sharon shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn't keep a straight face.

"Ah, there she is," he smiled. "Part of having your back is keeping you balanced."

"Sometimes you can be such an ass," she chuckled.

"Part of my charm. Besides, you love me so it's all good."

"Mmmm..."

"So seriously Shar, what are you going to do? This can't keep up and DCS isn't going to play ball with a he-said she-said."

"Andy, I think I'm too close. I think I need the team to get together and talk about this one because all I want to do is hurt that man, and I mean really hurt that man. It's blocking any sense of reason I have."

"Okay, then that's what we'll do. You want everyone in here or you coming out to the conference room?"

Getting up, she reached for the pictures he still held in his hand. "Conference room. We need to be comfortable."

The two walked into the main area, Andy keeping his respectable place behind her shoulder. He could see Provenza wanted to say something, but one look from Flynn silenced the old goat.

"What going on, Captain?" Sanchez asked when he saw her face. The question got the rest of the team looking at her expectantly.

Clearing her throat, Sharon looked at her squad. Where did the nervousness come from? "The other night, something came up pertaining to one of our open cases, and we need to consult as a group. Lt. Flynn," she turned slightly towards Andy, "could you get us set up in the conference room?"

"Sure Captain."

Sanchez and Tao looked at each other, then over at the regular officers who worked as clerks in their department who were obviously being omitted. Buzz wasn't sure where to look, but when Flynn nodded at him, he knew he was part of the consultation as well.

"What's the problem, Captain?" Sykes asked as they all took their seats.

Sharon waited until Flynn closed the door behind them and turned the blinds to give them complete privacy.

"I'm sorry. I'm not handling this very well. I'm not trying to be cloak-and-dagger with you, I'm just beside myself and I need your help." Sharon carefully laid out the pictures she had of Rusty for all to see.

"Where is he?" Provenza demanded, and the group knew he was not asking about the teenager.

"I'm assuming he's at his fiance's house. He's tried to call a few times, but I've told Rusty to let it go to message so we have a recording."

"Have you reported this yet?" Tao asked.

"No, if asked I will just claim the weekend meant I put off telling Rusty's social worker. It's only Monday morning now, so that's believable."

"We have enough to arrest Mr. Dunn for a few days and the proof will still be on his hands." Sykes pointed out.

"Ma'am, if I might. Mr. Dunn has shown violence to a minor. It's my understanding that they are two other minors under his supervision who could now be considered in danger."

That got Sharon's attention. "What are you thinking, Julio?"

"Well Ma'am, it's quite obvious that Mr. Dunn cares more about his fiance's opinion than his own son. I think it's fair to say Rusty would be quite happy if Mr. Dunn was no longer in the picture, so perhaps we could offer a deal. Give up parental rights or we will charge him with Child Endangerment, three counts."

"That would certainly effect his fiance," Sykes agreed.

"That might work for Rusty, but where is our responsibility to the other two children. Do we just forget that this guy could be a threat?" Buzz asked.

"Do we really believe Daniel is a threat to his fiance's daughters?" Sharon asked the group. "I don't think he is. I think the girls are safe, at least for the time being."

"What are we looking at here, really?" Provenza started. "We all want what's best for Rusty, and none of us have liked Daniel Dunn from the first time we laid eyes on him. But we have to make sure what we want. Is it to go after Dunn or free Rusty from Dunn's parental ties? We can only have one, so we better make sure it's the right choice."

"Captain, we can't sit on knowledge that two children might be in a dangerous situation. You know our responsibility has to be protecting them also." Sykes was quick to remind everyone.

"Perhaps we can have it both ways. I think we all agree that our primary goal is to remove Mr. Dunn from Rusty's life completely. Once that is accomplished, we can then let it slip to our friends at DCS that we might be concerned about the girls. Mr. Dunn can't come back on Rusty if there are no legal times." Tao offered.

"Who can drop this to DCS without arousing suspicion?" Sykes wondered out loud.

"Flynn can." Provenza leaned back in his chair and smirked. "You still chasing that skirt over at DCS? Go turn on the charm and drop the information in her lap, along with whatever else you want to drop."

In an instant, Sharon's blood ran cold, and for the first time all day her upset wasn't about Rusty. Flynn just glared at the old man, causing Provenza to chuckle even more.

"How do we get Mr. Dunn down here and confront him so he will sign away parental rights?" Buzz asked, completely oblivious to the tension now swirling through his superior officers.

"Well, right now I'm forcing the issue," Sharon replied in a lower voice. "Eventually Daniel will come down to this office when he can't get direct contact to Rusty. I can't see the fiance letting him ignore the altercation Saturday evening. At that point, I'm hoping he will say enough to incriminate himself, giving us even more leverage."

"Well, you are the deal maker, Captain. I'm sure we can get some legal assistance from DDA Hobbes, so we don't have any loose ends. But I've got to tell you, I'd much rather deal with Dunn the old fashioned way. Sometimes I miss the days of back-alley justice." Provenza had complete agreement in the room.

Clearing his throat, Andy tried to catch Sharon's eye, but she was having none of it. "Okay then," he finally said to the gathering, "we have a plan. No contact with Mr. Dunn until he comes on our turf, get Hobbs to draft the paperwork and make sure it's air tight, help him along so he paints himself into a corner, then force the deal. After that's done, we'll make sure the concern for the girls gets leaked to DCS. Agreed?"

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Thank you, everyone. This is quite personal for me so I appreciate your perspective, and I know Rusty will be overwhelmed by the unconditional support you've just given him." Sharon looked around at her team, proud of all of them.

"He's one of us, Captain," Sykes provided, looking around for agreement. "We take care of our own." Luckily Amy didn't see Provenza roll his eyes.

"Is that everything, Captain?" Buzz asked.

"Yes, thank you. With any luck it will be a slow week and this is all we'll have to deal with."

Hearing the dismissal, everyone left the conference room except Andy and Sharon.

"Provenza is a bastard."

"No... yes, you're right, he is. But no, he wasn't wrong." Sharon looked Andy in the eye finally. "He's right. You have the backdoor contacts at DCS so you should be the one to leak the concern about the girls."

Andy looked at her for a few moments to suss out what she might be thinking. "Okay, I'll do it," he nodded, "but that's all I'm dropping over there."

Sharon smiled softly and nodded, "I don't have any right to dictate otherwise." Then she left the room.

"You're the only one who can dictate otherwise," he replied to the emptiness.


	4. Chapter 4

Daniel Dunn stood behind Sharon, looking like he was loaded for bear. Flynn didn't like the look of him at the best of times, but considering everything that had gone down with Rusty, he was even more displeased to see the man. Andy and Sharon had spoken about it a few times, and they promised each other they wouldn't do anything to move the situation along until Dunn made the first move, but seeing his sniveling face behind Sharon made it pretty hard for Flynn to keep his resolve. Somehow the words out of his mouth didn't bely his feelings of disgust, as he announced the weasel's arrival. How he did it, Flynn did know. Perhaps it was the knowledge that outsiders always underestimated Captain Sharon Raydor, and Andy was going to enjoy his front row seat when Dunn realized just how much underestimating he had done.

Andy watched Sharon point to her office and walk past. By now the rest of the team had picked up on some "Raydor-isms", and he could hear Provenza whistle faintly under his breath. Sharon had levels of angry. First level involved looks that could cut through steel, second level involved saying precisely what her issue was with anyone's actions or reactions, and the third was silence. When silence included pointing, there was going to be hell to pay. Dunn was done!

If Dunn wasn't such a waste of space, Andy might have felt sorry for him, the way he was practically sputtering to get Sharon's attention and justify himself. Sharon wouldn't give. She never did. Telling him to wait in her office, Sharon caught Andy's eye, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. That's my girl, he thought, grateful he'd never had to tangle with this part of Sharon.

It took them awhile to get some of the facts on the open homicide worked through, and all that while Andy knew Sharon was forcing Dunn to cool his heals. She could have left and dealt with him a few times, even with Taylor standing over them, but she was far more interested in making Dunn sweat. When she brushed by Andy, actually touching him for moral support, it was all he could do not to whisper "Go get 'em, Tiger", but that would have been completely out of line. So he stood with the others, pretending to listen to what they were throwing around, but he knew his head wasn't in the game. He wanted to be in that room with Sharon, backing her up and threatening Dunn if he had to, much like he did that Detective from Las Vegas the week before.

Andy could see Dunn gesticulating in the office, and Sharon as always, cool as a cucumber. No matter how many times he saw her do that, he never got over how impressed he was by her veneer of calm. It wasn't an act, he knew, but it also wasn't the only reaction she had. Inside he knew she wanted to pummel Dunn where he stood, as they all did.

He stood with the rest of the team, watching through the blinds that were usually closed. He almost snickered when Dunn turned and got an eyeful of angry, armed officers staring back at him. After Dunn left, Sharon exited her office and he knew she was shaking with rage. Andy knew the plan, but he was with Provenza wanting to arrest the bastard. He knew Sharon wouldn't go for it, and wasn't surprised in the least when she redirected the team back to the Judge's murder.

Taking her lead, Andy and the rest of the team got back to piecing everything together. It didn't take long for them to gain just enough evidence for the FBI to take over the case, forcing the team to back off discovering the shooter. When Taylor left, smug in the idea that the LAPD was saving money, they were all frustrated. First they had agreed not to go after Dunn even though they wanted to, and now the murder case was taken from them. This day was not going the way he had hoped, and he knew the team felt it. But once again, Sharon surprised them all by refusing to give up everything. He was quite proud of her and looked around at everyone's reaction. Sometimes it was hard for him to believe this was the same group of people who would have done anything to get rid of her months before when she became the new head of Major Crimes. For all his blustering, even Provenza had come to realize there was a real advantage to having a boss who knew the rules so well she could game the system from the inside.

Sharon didn't leave the group or pull herself away, so Andy didn't have a chance to check in with her, but with Dunn gone and the case taking a decided turn to the secretive, he knew she was all business and anything she might feel about Rusty was put aside. When Rusty arrived after school, he returned Andy's wave. At first the kid had been really self-conscious of everyone's reaction to his bruised face, but Andy watched Rusty relax into the knowledge that everyone was on his side. One of the unintended benefits of Dunn's lack of control was providing Rusty with a broader sense of security. Andy was glad they could give that for both Rusty and Sharon.

When it came time to roll out to find their witness, Andy was pleased Sharon immediately headed for his car. Even though Provenza was in the front seat beside him, he could adjust he rearview mirror to take a good look at her. He was rewarded with the twinkling eyes he loved so well, and a nod of her head that she was fine. Realizing he was being silly and overprotective, two things Sharon would hate if she had to acknowledge them out loud, he nodded back and concentrated on the house. He knew he wouldn't be able stop her from barging into the building with them, but he could get there first.

The whole scene was a disaster. They had missed the murder by minutes and it sat badly for all of them. On the way back to the station, Andy watched Sharon again, but this time instead of seeing her acknowledging him back, she had that far away, calculating look on her face. He knew without a doubt she would have their next options worked out in her mind before they were back in the murder room.

Once back in the office, Andy sat at the back of the room while Sharon laid out the entire plan. She was using all their people in the critical positions and didn't call the FBI in until she had everything worked out. When Fritz Howard did finally arrive, he pulled Sharon aside to speak with her. Andy knew he had no claim on Sharon, but it still made his stomach tighten to see Sharon almost flirt with Fritz. The smiles and the nod of her head in understand looked a little too genuine for his liking, and when she moved her head closer to Fritz, Andy felt his jaw tighten. Andy knew the two had worked together before, and that Howard was one of Sharon's biggest supporters when she was investigating the division before her transfer. There was respect between the two, but what else was there?

Sharon didn't look at him when her private conversation with Fritz ended, instead she threw the order over her retreating back for everyone to go home and change, then meet back before they headed out to their assignments. Andy had wanted to be the one to appear as Sharon's date, but she gave that honour to Provenza. Shaking off his disappointment, he reviewed the details of his part of the plan as he left for home, checked his weapons, and dressed for the night.

He was one of the first on the scene, and checked the parameter carefully while the others showed up. He knew Sharon and Provenza would be the last to arrive. Fritz showed up not long after and wanted to engage Andy in conversations about Sharon and how Major Crimes was doing since her arrival. Again he had to remind himself to keep his face blank as Howard waxed on about how brilliantly Sharon managed to keep the case even though technically it wasn't her jurisdiction, and how she got the FBI to do her bidding. Andy was quite happy when Fritz moved on to tend to his own personnel.

Not long after Sharon arrived and checked in with her team, the action started. They found the kid safe and sound, and Andy knew it was hard for Sharon to pretend for the boy that his father was alright when they knew he was actually lying on a slab in their morgue. That was not a notification she wanted to make, and Andy made a note to ask to assist her with the task.

Andy knew it was quite naive of the FBI to want the murderer alive. A guy like that wasn't going to name names. Suicide by Cop, that was the perp's way out. FID had been quick to the scene, taking everyone's statements and collecting the guns used to kill the suspect. He'd lost count of the number of guns he lost that way, but at least this time he wasn't alone. The only ones in the squad who hadn't fired were Provenza and Sharon. The guy looked like swiss cheese by the time they were through with him.

Afterwards he accompanied Sharon back to the restaurant to tell Angel about his father. Fritz Howard was there as well, and they watched as Captain Sharon became Mama Sharon with the teen who was too young to loose both his parents through violent deaths. He watched her wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, then cradle the young man as he cried on her shoulder. He knew how drained she was from everything going on at home, but still she gave what she had left to Angel.

Fritz eventually took Angel with him, leaving Sharon and Andy to exit the restaurant together and head to the unmarked police car he was driving.

"How are you holding up?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Tired... but fine."

"Forgive me if I don't fully believe that, Shar," he said, taking off his LAPD jacket and putting it around her shoulders.

"It's the kids, Andy. It's always the kids that get to me the most. Doesn't matter if they are the victims or the survivors, it's just hard."

"Yeah, it is. But you were good tonight. 'Could I have a name to put on your death certificate?' " he laughed. "You were cold!"

Sharon giggled and pulled the jacket closer around her shoulders. "Channelling all of my violent desires on that man felt good, I'll admit it."

"Come on" he said as he put his arm lightly around her shoulders, "let's take you home."


	5. Chapter 5

Sharon felt the relief all the way to her toes. Although she had assured Rusty that Daniel would sign the papers, she wasn't completely convinced. Dunn was a man who was desperate to hold on to what he had, and they didn't have the evidence to prove a pattern of child abuse regardless of what they wanted the man to think. Many men had skirted the law on the excuse of loosing their temper, and there was a good chance that Daniel himself, having only recently discovering he had a son and what his son did to survive for months, would be released without even a slap on the wrist due to extenuating circumstances. It was a gamble, and the only thing they really had on their side was intimidation.

Luckily intimidation was what her team did well, and they had positioned themselves around the room with the scariest closest to Daniel. God love Tao, but he didn't put the fear of the devil into a person like Andy and Julio did. Even Provenza could be scary to deal with. If there hadn't been so much on the line, she might have enjoyed the display of testosterone in the room. Even Rusty held his own with the group standing around the table, preventing Dunn from getting anywhere near the boy. Fix this? Was the man really that stupid?

Watching Daniel's face, she understood all too well the saying 'If looks could kill'. When the proverbial gloves came off, it was clear to everyone that Daniel despised Rusty for interfering in his life. The man probably thought it gave more of an equal footing to bring his own child into the marriage, rather than just being a step-parent, but he wasn't interested in Rusty the person. Everyone else in the room however, was only interested in Rusty the person and it was wonderful for her to watch Rusty come to the realization that no one there wanted anything in exchange for their support.

Sharon looked over and saw Flynn smiling at her, unabashedly joyous over the outcome. It warmed her heart and she wanted so much to move into his arms to enjoy the moment. She couldn't, of course, but the urge was strong. So instead she turned to the man she could touch, the young man who's strength and bravery had touched them all.

"You are family," she assured Rusty, and she meant it. Gone was the bratty teen disrupting her life. The person who stood in front of her, the person who's shoulder she was squeezing, had wormed his way into her heart and she felt almost as free as she knew he must feel.

Clapping and rubbing his hands together, Provenza got everyone's attention. "Okay, this calls for a celebration. What would you like to do, Rusty?"

Rusty looked surprised and a little taken aback. Everyone in the room was smiling at him and nodding at the suggestion. Even Sharon was smiling and looking expectantly.

"Um... I don't know. What do you usually do when you celebrate a deal?"

Everyone started to look at each other, shuffle a bit and offer the occasional chuckle.

"To be perfect honest, Kid, we haven't done much celebrating." Ignoring Provenza's guttural agreement, Andy continued, "but this is different and we need to be celebrating this time. So what will it be, burgers? Pizza?"

Andy smiled even more when Sharon rolled her eyes at the food suggestions, but he knew she wouldn't say anything to sway the boy.

"Um... burgers, I guess. There's this place that Sharon and I go sometimes... we could go there."

"Sounds perfect," Sharon replied. "I'll give the address, but might I suggest we carpool. The parking lot isn't that large and I don't think it could handle seven different vehicles."

"It's a plan everyone, usual travel teams, I'm driving. Provenza. Captain. Rusty, you're driving with me." Flynn gladly took charge and they all moved out. As the others left the room, he turned to Sharon and winked. She nodded and smiled. She was no fool.

Once they were settled around the largest table the restaurant had to offer, and their order had been given, Provenza offered a toast. "To Rusty Beck, for bravery above and beyond."

"Here, here" could be heard around the table as glasses clinked.

"Seriously, I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you guys," Rusty responded. "I was so scared I would have to go with him and I knew that would mean being back on the streets. This way I get to stay with Sharon. So thank you. I really mean it."

Sharon rubbed Rusty's upper back, as naturally as any proud mother would, and smiled at her young charge. Flynn had managed to get himself seated beside her, and she could feel him reach under the table and squeeze her thigh. It took everything she had not to respond or change her facial expression. Instead she just thought about how wonderful it was to be seated between two of her favourite men.

"This is nice," Sykes said after their meal arrived. "I think we should do this more often."

Provenza rolled his eyes again, something he often did when Amy spoke, but the telltale lift at the corner of his mouth told Sharon he was less frustrated with the enthusiasm of the younger detective, and more amused by it. It was a nice shift, and one that relieved her greatly.

"I think that's a very good idea, Amy. We turned a corner today as a group, I think. I know it's been really hard on the lot of you to change the way we do things in Major Crimes, but deals aren't always a bad thing."

"Says you, Captain," Provenza started. "I still prefer to watch criminals being told they're guilt."

Sharon knew this could go sideways in an instant, and now was the time to offer a different kind of leadership. "Mmmm, that is so true."

Provenza was surprised by her reaction, and sat up a little in his seat. "Captain?"

"Yes?"

"Are you saying you don't agree with this deal making process personally?" Provenza looked like a Cheshire cat.

"Lt, is everything black and white for you?" Sharon smiled her most snake-like smile, causing Flynn to chuckle beside her.

Everyone waited to see what the senior detective would do next, but it didn't take long for him to chuckle along with Flynn.

Looking anxious, Rusty couldn't help himself. "What... what just happened here?"

The remaining detectives started to laugh, so Buzz leaned over and took pity on Rusty. "It's just a big game of chess. The Lt. is the king, but the Captain is the queen on the other side of the board."

Rusty nodded like he understood, but he still wasn't sure it was a good thing. Sharon joined in the laughing at that point, and risked looking at Andy so they could enjoy the humour together. She didn't miss the twinkle in his eye.

"So Kid," Flynn changed the subject. "You're family, just like the Captain said. So what do you think about joining me and Uncle Louis at a baseball game?"

"Really?" Rusty was stunned. "You'd take me?"

"Sure would," Andy assured him.

"That's awesome! So who's Uncle Louis?"

More laughter came from around the table. "That would be me," Provenza interrupted.

"You're name is Louis, huh?" Amy interrupted, obviously interested in the fact.

"Provenza to you, Sykes."

Amy put her hands up in mocked surrender. "That's fine. My grandma always told me to respect my elders and not call them by their first name. Age has it's privilege."

Snap. Sharon could enjoy watching Sykes needle Provenza for hours, and had to turn her head to regain composure. That was a mistake, as she caught Flynn's eye and broke out into a full guffaw.

The site of their Captain actually laughing and enjoying her team took everyone by surprise. Sharon made note that she would have to do that more often. She didn't miss the looks Julio and Mike exchanged, and wondered what they were really thinking as they shared smiles of their own.

All in all, Sharon decided, it was a glorious way to end a triumphant afternoon, and she didn't want it to end. However she knew it couldn't last, and after a couple of hours of laughing, food and storytelling, the group started to break up on it's own. Amy announced she had plans for the evening, and Sanchez said he'd drive her, which meant Mike and Buzz had to leave. Soon it was just the older members of the squad with Rusty.

"So, what do you think, old man? Ready to leave?"

"Who are you to call anyone 'old', Flynn?" came the challenging response.

"As Skyes pointed out, age has it's privilege, so I'm just asking if you're ready to leave, you being the senior member of this team and all."

"You know Flynn, some times you deserve a punch in the face."

Flynn started to chuckle. "Well, it might interest you to know you're not the only one who wants to hit me on a regular basis."

Sharon made a point of not looking either man in the eye for fear she would give herself away. When Rusty saw a friend across the restaurant, she was all too quick to give him her full attention and join him for introductions to his classmate's parents. Leaving the bickering duo their table, Sharon met the family of David Sutton, and discovered the boy was also on the Chess Team. Giving her permission for Rusty to spend the evening with David, she returned to see what new trouble Flynn and Provenza had gotten themselves in to.

"Dare I ask?" Sharon said as she approached the table.

"Our good friend here," Flynn began, pointing to Provenza, "has decided there is a waitress with whom he wants to become better acquainted, so the Letch is staying here while I drive you and Rusty home."

"Letch... " Provenza huffed, "you only wish you had as much success with women as I do."

"Oh yeah, your record is one to behold," Flynn replied sarcastically, then turned to Sharon, "so how about we get the Kid and head out?"

"Ah... no Rusty, I'm afraid. He's met up with a friend and is going there for the evening."

"So it's just you and me, then." Flynn tried to keep the suggestion out of his voice.

"Mmm... I guess it is, Lt." Sharon grabbed her purse and tried not to make eye contact with Flynn. "Good evening, Lt." she said to Provenza and then walked ahead of Andy out of the restaurant.

"Thank you for seeing me to my door, Andy," Sharon said once they had arrived at her condo. "It's a little early for a nightcap, but would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice," he said as he shrugged out of his jacket an laid it over the nearest chair, then motioned for her to turn so he could help her remove her suit jacket as well. Rolling up his sleeves, he followed her into the kitchen. "Here Shar, let me do that and you go slip into something more comfortable."

"Comfortable as in my LAPD sweats or comfortable as in a red teddy?" she asked, trying to keep her face as unreadable as possible.

"You're killing me here, Shar," he groaned.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I be back in a few minutes."

When she returned, he had lost his tie, finished making the coffee and had some Sinatra playing in the background.

"I could get used to this," she said, making him turn towards her.

"So could I" he replied, looking her up and down, from her slightly mussed hair, down her overlarge lavender sweater to the bottom of her jean-covered legs. He noticed she was barefoot again, and he shucked off his shoes before he approached. "Come here, Beautiful."

Holding his hand out, she took it and was pulled into his arms. With one arm around her waist and her hand pinned close by the other, they swayed slowly to the music.

_That old black magic has me in it's spell,_

_That old black magic that you weave so well..._


	6. Chapter 6

Sanchez looked up as the Captain Raydor arrived, still wearing her sunglasses and holding a large cup of coffee in her hand.

"Late night, Captain?" he watched Provenza as he tried to provoke the Captain.

"No, early morning, Lieutenant," she replied, on her way to her office. She dropped the bags she was carrying in the other hand, replaced her sunglasses with her normal fare, and returned to the murder room. "So, what do we have anyway? Chief Taylor wasn't exactly brimming with details when he awoke me an hour ago."

Sanchez knew that tone of voice, and intervened before Provenza could cause any more trouble. "Ma'am, we have a report of three missing girls. There's been no ransom demands, and nothing linking the girls except their parents are all wealthy and the girls are highly trained dancers."

"Missing dancers, Lt. Sanchez? What exactly makes that a Major Crimes? I'm sure their parents are terrified, but we don't deal with kidnappings."

"Weren't you listening, Captain," Provenza interfered again, "these aren't just regular girls, these are _privileged_ girls."

"I beg your pardon, Lt. Provenza?" she still wasn't getting the point.

"Privileged girls, as in people our good Chief wants to have in his corner."

Sharon rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me? I was called out of bed at 4 AM to help the Chief's political ambitions?" Scoffing, she paced back and forth, then stopped and looked around the room. "There's only the three of us. Was no one else called?"

"No, we're here," Flynn could be heard coming round the corner, followed by an extremely tired looking Sykes.

"What took you so long, Flynn?" Provenza started. "You live closer than I do."

"Breakfast. We all had an early dinner with Rusty yesterday, then I only had a light snack before bed. If I'm keeping these hours, I've got to eat."

Sanchez watched Flynn put the bags he was carrying on Amy's desk, forcing her to move over. "Are you okay?" Julio asked her quietly. "Did you sleep at all?" When she shook her head, he gently pushed her into his unoccupied seat, then looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Flynn and Provenza seemed only interested in the food, and the Captain had her back to them. Feeling Amy's hand reach up and squeeze his fingers in thanks, he squeezed back and let them go. Still no one seemed to notice them.

Standing back from the chair, yet close enough to help if he was needed, Julio watched the room. Flynn had pulled out a styrofoam plate and was handing it to the Captain, who seemed to shake her head. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn Flynn whisper "Sharon, eat." but he didn't think the Lt. would be that familiar with their Commanding Officer. Provenza already had the fattest, greasiest doughnut in his fingers, and Julio wondered how the man never keeled over from heart failure. Tao and Buzz were just coming into the room, each with their own contributions to the food pile.

"Oatmeal," Sykes said when she saw Tao's bag being emptied on her desk.

"I'll take care of that," Julio said quickly, then grabbed a few pouches to take to the break room. When he returned, Sykes' seemed to be more settled, and the Captain was eating whatever Flynn had ordered for her. Passing the hot cereal to Sykes, Julio dug into one bowl himself and passed the third to Tao.

"So..." Buzz spoke to Sanchez while looking around the room, "why does it look like we're having a breakfast meeting rather than having a crime to solve?"

"Well, you see..." Julio was about to start..

"Good morning everyone, glad you could make it." Chief Taylor had entered the room effectively ending the private conversations happening around the room. "Captain, I trust you're ready to roll out your team as soon as you've finished your cereal."

Julio watched as the Chief's sarcasm left it's mark on the Captain's face. It was obviously a bad morning for her because that sort of thing usually didn't show until after the offending idiot had left the room. She was struggling not to take the Chief's head off, and it looked like she was loosing the battle. This was not good, but before the Captain had a chance to loose her cool, Flynn seemed to come to the rescue.

"Chief. We're here and we don't know why. Perhaps if you'd enlighten us we would be able get down to business, but until that time, you'll excuse us while we enjoy our Team Breakfast."

"Always the wise guy, Flynn. Why you're still around, I have no idea."

"Come on, Taylor," Andy grinned his cheeky grin, "you know this place wouldn't be the same without me."

Sanchez watched the Captain try to control a smile, and that seemed all she needed to put her Captain's face in place. He didn't know how Flynn managed to do that, but Julio was sure it wasn't a coincidence.

"Chief Taylor, I understand we have missing minors, but I fail to see how that is a Major Crime. Other divisions are much better equipped to deal with that sort of thing."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Captain. Major Crimes has some of the best minds working here, and you were asked for by name. These aren't just any girls, Captain. Their families hold a great deal of influence in this town, and we could be dealing with someone who is targeting the political elites through their weakest point. That makes this a Major Crime."

"Forgive me, Chief," Provenza started, "have we any ransom notes, or evidence of home invasions, or even a body? Is there anything to go on? From what I can see the only thing happening here is some dancers have been taken, with no agenda beyond that. Now as terrifying and as frustrating as this must be for the parents, it doesn't mean we should be the team to work the case. The parents could ask for Scotland Yard if they wanted to, but that doesn't make it anyone's jurisdiction except Missing Persons."

"Provenza," the Chief looked as pompous as ever, "let's just say the decision is made. This is a Major Crime and I expect you to work it with your normal degree of professionalism."

Julio watched as everyone exchanged looks. Chief Taylor looked pleased with himself, but the rest were anything but.

"Okay, Captain, I'll leave you to it. All the information on the girls and their families are in the database, awaiting your attention."

"Dammit," the Captain exclaimed when Taylor had fully left the room, "I had promised Rusty we would spend today together."

"How is the world's newest orphan?" Provenza asked.

Raydor truly smiled for the first time all morning, "Well, he was quite happy when he came in last night. I didn't want to wake him when I left this morning, so expect a call Buzz."

"Right, Captain."

"Okay, let's see what we've got."

"There's not much, Captain," Julio said. "The only real link is the dance studio where the girls were training. Cynthia Milner's Studio, is the name of the school."

"What?"

Sanchez looked up at the Captain, who looked like she had seen a ghost. "Cynthia Milner's Studio, Ma'am."

"That name mean something to you, Captain?" Flynn asked.

"Okay, full disclosure. Cynthia Milner is my aunt. My cousin runs the school now, and she does cater to the very well healed."

"Conflict of interest, Captain?" Provenza suggested.

"Not yet, Lt. Provenza, but when there is I'll let you know. Alright people, I know the school and the people, so we can easily get an undercover officer in there. Amy, how is your plié?"

"Captain?"

"Det. Sykes, I know a dancer's body when I see one. You're going in. If we have to do this, I want people I can trust. Det. Sanchez, you'll be a father going to check out the school for his daughter. Buzz, I'll get permission to tap into the cameras inside the school. The rest of us will either be down the hall or outside in the van. Questions?"

"Um, just one Captain," Flynn started, "you'll get 'permission' to tap into the cameras? What about a warrant?"

"We'll go there if we need to Lt., but at this time in the morning I have no desire to wake up a judge if this is a wild goose chase. My cousin Donna, on the other hand, owes me a favour dating back to her Sweet 16 party."

Chuckling, they all went about preparing for the day. Sanchez wasn't convinced he would pass as a father, and went to speak to the Captain about his concerns.

"Julio, I have every confidence in you. Besides, I know if Det. Sykes gets in any trouble, you are the best person to have in there. She trusts you more than anyone, and I know it's mutual."

Taken aback, Sanchez nodded, then went to do his job.

A few hours later, the first set of senior classes had started. True to her word, Sharon had secured written permission from her cousin to have access to all the live feeds, and Buzz was reviewing them in the van with Tao and Provenza. Sanchez was watching the class for anything that might strike him as interesting, and Sykes proved herself to be every bit the dancer Sharon thought she was.

In a room down the hall, Sharon and Andy watched their own set of monitors.

"Sleep well?"

"Like I usually do, thanks for asking. You?"

"Could have been better, but it was alright."

"And what would have made it better, Lt.?"

"Company."

Sharon grinned at Andy, the promise as always, hanging between them. The crackling of the radio interrupted, as Buzz called in.

"Captain, we've got an altercation in the hallway, just to the left of the studio where Det. Sykes is teaching. Seems to be a girl about the same age as those who are missing, and a man of roughly 40, Caucasian, medium build, no weapons visible."

"Okay. Det. Sanchez, did you hear that?"

"Mmm, hmm" came the quiet reply.

"Good, Lt Provenza, Det. Tao, please be prepared to meet our friend outside the doorway on that side. There is a small pathway about ten feet beyond the edge of the building that leads to a secluded parking area. I don't want that girl to make it to the parking area."

"Understood, Captain."

As she was giving orders, Andy checked his gun and assumed Sharon was doing the same. Instead he saw she had removed her dress to reveal a sheer dancing skirt over a leotard, and quickly pulled on dancing slippers. Then she whipped her hair into the fastest bun he had ever seen. Andy stood there agape.

"What?" she looked at him sternly. "Move!"

Sanchez saw the Captain coming down the hall, and he felt more intimidated than he had when she pulled the shotgun from her car. She breezed past him towards the hallway in question.

"What is going on here?" she demanded, as the man pulled the girl towards the exit.

"We're just leaving," he said. The girl looked terrified but didn't speak nor did she fight.

"You are not going to take one of my dancers from this studio", Sharon practically screeched at the man, and reached out to grab the girl from him.

He yanked the girl away, and pulled her closer to the exit, not allowing any space for Flynn or Sanchez to get behind him. "I don't think so, lady."

Not intimidated in the least, Sharon put her hands on her hips and walked towards him as if she were playing the lead role in Carmen. "When I speak, people listen."

"Look lady, I'm busy and we're in a hurry. This little girl will just have to come back another time."

"Not good enough." Sharon continued.

Amy came out of the classroom and heard the two talking. She made note of Sanchez and Flynn with guns drawn, hidden from the perp. She also knew the others should be positioned outside the door. Not knowing exactly what she was walking into, she got the nod that it was clear from Sanchez, and when she rounded the corner she was amazed to see the Captain looking like the strictest dancing instructor she had ever seen. "Can I help?" she asked.

"Yes, please escort this dancer back to her class. She knows better than to leave without changing into her street shoes."

"Look, I said she was coming with me," the man persisted, trying to hold his ground against what he thought were two angry ballerinas.

Sykes got in close enough to grab the girl, and when she did, the man let go with one hand to grab Sykes' arm instead. Sharon came close behind and grabbed the girl out of his now weakened hold, and once free, pushed her behind and off to the side where she knew Flynn was waiting to protect her. Returning to help Sykes, the two women made quick work of the kidnapper. While Sykes held him down, Sharon opened the back door to invite the officers in to cuff him and take him downtown.

Tao and Provenza had seen Amy dress for her part, but neither of them were prepared to see the Captain likewise attired.

"A little help here," Sykes demanded, getting their attention back, and Tao quickly came to his senses to handcuff and Mirandize the man.

"Nice work, Captain," Sykes complimented her, as the two women walked away from the scene, collecting the scared girl as they went.

"You too, Detective."

Sanchez and Flynn lowered their weapons and stared after them.

"Did you ever..."

"No..."

When the men eventually made their way to the room where the Captain and Sykes were questioning the girl, they saw she was crying and talking quickly. Another girl was standing alone in the hallway, so Flynn went to check if she needed help.

"I'm waiting for my father," she answered politely, "he's never been late before."

Through questioning both girls, they found out their kidnapper was removing his daughter's competition, hoping she would be the lead in the school's pageant, an event regularly patronized by scouts for professional dancing schools. All the girls were safely tucked away in the man's mansion, not far from their own homes. They had all been given the same story, that their parents were being followed by the press, and their girls had to stay out of the way and with their friends until lawyers settled it. That explained why the girls were scared but willing to go.

Sharon shook her head at the way things had gone. She was grateful the girls were safely returned to their families, and still annoyed that she had been awakened before dawn for something anyone could have handled. Still, it felt good to be in her dancing clothes, and she couldn't help twirl around the room.

Clapping interrupted her just before a leap, and she turned to see Andy smiling at her.

"Yet one more thing I didn't know about the mighty Sharon Raydor, and here I thought I had studied her thoroughly for years."

"You like what you see, Officer?" she said coyly, as she slid towards him.

"Very much."

"I'm very well trained" she smiled, and raised one leg sideways until she was able to grab her heal, and held it high beside her."

Andy growled and pulled her to him, crushing her into a kiss that threatened to devour them both.


	7. Chapter 7

"85 minutes."

"What?" Sharon didn't know what Provenza was saying to her.

"85 minutes, from the time Sykes and Sanchez got into position until we had the whole scene wrapped." Provenza threw his pen on the desk in frustration.

"Yeah, I gotta tell you, Captain, that case did nothing for me. Especially considering I was pulled out of bed for it. Girl Scouts could have figured this one out, and I mean the five year old Girl Scouts. What the hell were we doing there?"

Sharon had returned to the office behind the rest of her squad, having stopped by her condo to check on Rusty and to change.

"I don't know, Lt. Flynn, but I'm with all of you. There is a reason the rules are in place, and that is to make sure things are handled properly by the appropriate teams. There is no reason we should have been there at all. Missing Persons were the ones to deal with this, not us. The public is up in arms about misuse of resources and favouritism towards certain parts of society, and we were handed that plate this morning long before any other official was in the office to counter. Absolutely nothing we did this morning could be considered a Major Crime." She was furious. "I'll be back," she said as she stormed off to find Chief Taylor.

"Oh, I don't want to be at her destination right now," Tao spoke up.

"I don't know about that. I could be fun to be a fly on the wall." Sykes countered, and Provenza grunted in agreement.

She rapped loudly on the door, and was greeted by Chief Taylor's personal assistant. "Sorry Captain, the Chief is quite busy and can't be disturbed right now."

Sharon was not in the mood to be dismissed, and looked beyond the assistant's shoulder to see Chief Taylor sitting with the Monsignor of the Catholic Diocese as well as some of the prominent players in LA politics. "Is there a problem, _Captain_", Taylor said by way of greeting, emphasizing her rank and thus her inferior status.

All eyes in the room were on her, and obviously curious about the intrusion.

"My apologies, Chief, I was just here to clarify the electronics and overtime costs of this mornings activities, since it was outside the purview of Major Crimes and thus outside our budget."

Taylor looked uncomfortable but tried to cover, "There must be a mistake, Captain. The work you did this morning was identified as a Major Crimes case, so everything worked out fine, and we are all grateful to your department for their good work. Thank you, Captain."

He tried to dismiss her, but again she refused to go. "While I appreciate that, Chief, and I know you're probably doing something quite significant, we really need to establish how to increase the budgetary costs for my people when we are covering the responsibilities of other departments. I'm sure you must appreciate when a Lieutenant or Detective is asked to do the job of a Rookie or a First Class Officer, they need to be paid at rank. And when the highly specialized equipment we have in Major Crimes is used for surveillance that can be done by canvasing the neighbourhood or clerks in the office, the care and maintenance of that equipment needs to be covered."

"This is really not the time, Captain," Taylor couldn't keep the warning out of his voice.

"And you're right, of course. I'm just concerned, you know with how Major Crimes is one of the most scrutinized departments in the LAPD, and has to be seen functioning within proper channels, able to justify it's every action to the DA or the media. The rules are there for a reason, Chief, and as you know, I like to follow them."

Taylor arose from his chair and looked like he was going to physically throw Raydor out of his office. The fury in his eyes could not be hidden. Sadly for him, Sharon's comments had done exactly what they were intended to do, and the people in the office had their curiosity piqued.

"Captain," one of the members of the Mayor's staff began, "what were you covering this morning that should have been covered by someone else?"

Ever the politician, Sharon moved closer to the group, trying to look professional and casual at the same time. "This morning, my team was roused at an early hour to find some missing children."

Everyone around the table muttered between themselves. "Captain," another continued, "were the ransom demands high? How many of the children were already dead?"

"None, fortunately, and there wasn't a ransom demand."

"Thank God," the Monsignor replied for the group. "So, was it organized crime or a political group? Who took the children?"

"It was the father of their friend. He wanted his daughter to be the lead in the dance recital." Sharon was straight faced and plain spoken, but she could see Taylor ready to explode.

"I beg your pardon?" the Monsignor started.

"Apparently, he didn't think his daughter had a chance as lead, so he kidnapped her competition and was keeping them entertained at his home until after the roles had been assigned. The girls seemed to think it was a lark, but their parents were obviously upset and demanded the best investigators of the LAPD, which is Major Crimes Division."

"But Captain," the Mayor's staffer interrupted, "that is not what Major Crimes is designed for. It's my understanding, and that of the Mayor's Office, that Major Crimes is a specialized unit saved for the most egregious of crimes. They aren't to be called upon for just anything."

"Oh, I agree completely," Sharon nodded in understanding. "That's why I'm here, and again I apologize for interfering with your meeting. I just hope you appreciate that as the head of Major Crimes, I wasn't exactly sure how to categorize this mornings activities for the Finance Department. It's very important that LAPD be transparent and working within the Law, so the public can be completely sure there hasn't been any misuse of the Division. We've already been sued, as you know, so we really can't be seen as the personal police for the privileged. The Law is clear, and we must be seen as obeying the Law at all times."

"Quite right, Captain," the Monsignor nodded, and he had everyone's agreement. "We must make sure that each department in the LAPD is used properly. We can't have two levels of justice. Chief Taylor, I trust you will be looking into who might have used Major Crimes improperly. You might even call this 'overkill'." The Monsignor laughed at his own joke, and the rest joined in. Even Sharon laughed politely.

"Yes, Monsignor, I'll make sure this doesn't happen again," Taylor said through clenched teeth. "Captain, thank you for bringing it to my attention."

Sharon smiled in satisfaction, and nodded her thanks to everyone on the way out. As she passed by Taylor, he whispered to her "we're not done, Raydor".

"Oh, Captain," the Monsignor called before she left the room. Turning back to the portly older man Sharon smiled and waited. "Do tell your father I'll see him on the golf course this week. He's not getting out of it this time."

"I'll be sure to, Monsignor. Everyone." Nodding once more to the group, Sharon left.

All eyes were on her when she barreled back into their offices. "Batten down the hatches, everyone, we're about to get a storm."

"What did you do, Captain?" Flynn wanted to know, a smirk toying on his mouth.

"Will we need to sell tickets?" Provenza jumped in, enjoying the various possibilities floating through his imagination.

"Buzz," the Captain called out, "I need a meticulous cost accounting of every piece of equipment we used in that farce this morning, I want ever wire measured to the inch and every battery used in our communication itemized. Det. Sykes, I want you to go to Medical Services and have your wrist checked out thoroughly to see if any damage happened when that father grabbed you this morning. Check out your feet also. You probably haven't been on point anymore recently than I have. Dets. Tao and Sanchez, I want you to personally contact every single family that was possibly inconvenienced by our presence at the school this morning and ask what kind of apology they would appreciate. Aside from cold, hard cash, everything is on the table. All of you, I want you out of the office doing these things, understood?"

Provenza couldn't help rubbing his hands together with glee, as the younger members of the squad left to fulfill their assignments.

"And what do you want us to do, Captain?" Flynn grinned at her.

"You two? I want you to do what you're good at - I want you both to be royal pains in the ass!"

Sharon calmed down just slightly, and put her hands on her hips and paced, just as a marathoner who had finished a personal best.

"What did you do?" Provenza asked, coming to stand beside Flynn and lean on the desk.

"I publicly undermined Taylor in front of some pretty heavy hitters. Obviously he thought he could play politics before anyone else was out of bed this morning."

"Ah," Flynn nodded, "he didn't know he was up against the master."

"I hate these games, Andy. The LAPD should be above them, not mired in them. And Russell Taylor had got to be one of the more mired Chiefs we've had here in ages. In FID most of my time was spent making sure the public knew we were worthy of their trust, not handing them examples to prove we weren't."

"So, again I ask, what did you do? Did you attack the man?" Provenza interrupted.

"Attack? No, that's not the way to handle a person like Taylor. No, I humiliated him with people he was trying to impress. I kept asking clarification questions on how to submit expense claims and how to make sure my detectives were paid their rank, and not the rank of the people that should have been called out to do this." Sharon's eyes were beginning to twinkle, and a smile threatened her lips. "I just kept asking questions until the Monsignor and the Mayor's Office, and some other city officials started asking questions in return. Now, I couldn't very well keep some of the finer points of todays activities from such responsible citizens, could I?. And guess what, they were quite bothered that our Division was misused like that."

"The Monsignor was there? As in your Godfather Monsignor?" Flynn started to laugh.

"He's not my Godfather, he's just a good friend of the family. He's really a lovely old man, and he gave me greetings to pass on to my father."

Flynn was hooting by this point.

"Captain," Provenza chuckled, "I've got to hand it to you. You've made this day better already and it's only noon."

"Gentlemen, we could all see ourselves without a job by the end of the day, which is why I sent the younger members of our squad off to deal with the loose ends. They shouldn't have to be part of this. If we're going out, let's do it with a bang."

They didn't have long to wait. Within the half hour, Chief Taylor descended on the trio, ready to remind anyone who got in his way that he was in charge.

"Captain Raydor!" he bellowed.

"Yes Chief," she replied casually, pulling herself away from what looked like a work conversation with Flynn and Provenza. "Can I help you with something?"

"What was that little display of yours this morning?" Taylor was practically seething.

"Display? I'll admit it's been awhile since I wore my dancing attire, but I didn't..."

"That is not what I mean and you know it. How dare you enter a superior's office and start to undermine your orders. You had an assignment to complete, and that was the end of it."

"My team was hardly given an assignment, Chief." Her defiance was fully on display now.

"When I put you in charge, it was with the understanding that you would get this Division in order, not fall prey to their disrespect for authority." Taylor was so wound up, he hadn't yet asked that the conversation be private, so Flynn and Provenza were getting a front row seat to the Chief's posturing. Later, Taylor would never be able to claim this conversation hadn't happened.

"My job here, as I understand if Chief, is to make sure this Division complies fully with the Law, and part of that is being transparent so we also appear to be compliant with the Law. The Law is very clear on it's opinion of any Police Force being used by private interests."

"I resent that, Captain. You were not used by private interests. We didn't know what we were dealing with, and anyone could have taken those children. All those families are very powerful with enemies to match. It was completely within the purview, as you so pointedly called it, to require our best until we knew the difference. Was it within your purview to enlist private citizens to do your job?" Taylor smiled as though he had just scored a significant point.

"LAPD procedure requires 24 hours before Missing Persons Division is contacted, then that Division systematically goes through the list to eliminate possible perpetrators and narrow down what might have happened. From there if a larger concern from Organized Crime is determined, that unit is called in to assist, but not take over the case. And if the situation crosses State borders, the FBI is called in to handle the situation. At no point, Sir, is Major Crimes involved until the bodies start to pile up. Paranoid parents with a direct like to the Assistant Chief do not get to dictate how the system works. The Law is the Law, and the Law works when it is followed, and we get sued when we do not follow the Law, Chief."

"You are skating on very thin ice right now, Captain. You are not above using the Law to your own purposes, and everyone here knows that."

Provenza and Flynn were starting to get agitated, but Sharon was handling things.

"Clarify."

"Uh huh... don't really like having your own abuses highlighted, I see. When the situation with one Rusty Beck didn't suit you, you used the resources of this entire Division to get what you want. Don't think I don't know you had DDA Hobbs do your legal work and made your entire team run errands for you and cover for you when you would rather be at home."

Sharon leveled her glaze, but she didn't have a chance to respond before her Lieutenants had their chance.

"Flynn"

"Yes, Provenza"

"Do you remember that witness we have? That kid who is under special protection?"

"Why yes Provenza, I think I do."

"Now, I'm trying to remember... didn't the District Attorney's office outline strict instructions on his care and monitoring?"

"Yes, I do believe he was to be watched by competent authorities 24/7, and protected against possible reprisal. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Flynn, I'm just thinking, those directions, that came from the District Attorney's office weren't merely suggestions, they were written requirements, correct?"

"Yes, Provenza..."

"Okay, okay," Taylor interrupted them, "I get your point. You think you and these clowns have won this round Captain, but you haven't won anything except further scrutiny. One toe out of line, and you are done."

"My, my... threatening of a Police Officer by a Superior," Provenza started, "I do believe Internal Affairs might have an opinion on that one. Do you know anyone from that Division, Captain?"

Sharon couldn't keep the smile from pulling at the corner of her lips. "I will do my job within the requirements of the Law and only that job. Is that acceptable to you, Chief?"

Taylor glared at her for a few moments, then stormed off, leaving Flynn and Provenza chuckling in his wake. Sharon, however, was not as jubilant.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the end of another long day in Major Crimes Division. Provenza grabbed his suit jacket and was putting it on. "You coming, Flynn?"

"Nah, I'm going to finish these reports."

"Reports," Provenza grumbled, "we shouldn't have had that case in the first place, and I use the term loosely. Can't those wait for tomorrow?"

"I'd rather finish them tonight, and then they're done. I'll see you in the morning, and hopefully it will be after the sun is up."

"Suit yourself," the older man called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Quiet descended. The only thing that could be heard was the clicking of Andy's fingers on his computer and the low-grade hum of the overhead lights.

"Have I told you how much I appreciate you doing this?" a voice said behind him.

"Every week, like clockwork," he smiled in response, keeping his eye on his screen and filling in all the pertinent information. It didn't take long, and soon Andy found himself shutting down his computer and walking into the boss's office.

He was surprised to see her curled up in her green chair rather than sitting behind her desk.

"What's up?"

The noise startled her, "Mmm...?" she blinked a few times then smiled when she registered who had spoken. "Just thinking."

"That's obvious," Andy said, pulling one of the visitor's chairs over and sitting down to be at eye level. "What's got that gorgeous face tied up in such a knot?"

"Oh, just something Taylor said earlier."

"Shar, you really shouldn't give that blow-hard the time of day. He stepped in it and had to own up to it, but the snake that he is will probably avoid any real responsibility. You did good, Honey. There was nothing he could say in the face of the Law and guidelines we all have to follow. He tried to pull a fast one, and you nailed him for it."

Smiling at him a little more, she got up from her chair and went to close her office door. The blinds were already blocking the view from the Murder Room just in case anyone was curious, so she returned to her chair.

"Not the case. He really was over the top on that. If nothing else, I hope he learned that I probably know all the political people he knows, and some of them I know by name. He's such a pompous ass. I really think he put me in charge of this Division because he knew you all hated me, and figured I wasn't going to make a dent, thus effectively rendering you moot. I'm sure he knew we were partners in the past, and probably figured since you'd turned on me years ago, you wouldn't turn back. It's not very comforting to know I was promoted with the expectation that I'd fail."

Andy reached out to grasp her hand, and started gently rubbing circles on the back. "You didn't fail, Shar. In fact, I'd say after the FBI case and Rusty and that foolishness this morning, you are on the inside the circling wagons, not on the outside. I doubt anyone would have seen that coming, but I can't say I'm surprised."

"You're not?" she bit her lower lip and smiled sadly.

"Nope. You are without a doubt, the most capable, level headed, determined woman I have every known, and you come with more charm and brilliance than most people realize on first glance."

Oh, Andrew Flynn, if nothing else you are certainly good for a person's ego," she said as she squeezed his hand.

"I try, so let's forget Taylor and let's get out of here."

Sharon was pensive as she kept looking at their twined fingers. "That's not all."

"What is it Shar? What's really bothering you."

Again Sharon was silent, and he waited her out. A few times she took a breath to speak, and then let it go. Finally she looked up at him, and her eyes were watery.

"We are skating on thin ice here, you know. One toe out of line, is what he said, and I've been doing a lot more than that."

"What are you talking about? You've been following the rules every step of the way."

"I'm talking about us. I am your Superior Officer, and I have made advances towards you which could suggest an abuse of my position. The Law is the Law, and the Law is clear. There can be no relationship between us. These last few weeks I've been wondering how I can skirt the Law on this issue, and I've been pushing it. I shouldn't have been so suggestive with you. I'm not sorry," she smiled, "but I still shouldn't be putting either of us in that position. It's not professionally accepted conduct."

"You know what I think of that particular rule, don't you?" Flynn was trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, and failing miserably.

"I know. And I want to say we are the exception, that we are the ones who prove it's possible to have a relationship that doesn't undermine the command structure, but we both know it's not true. The team already knows you're my favourite, and I'm not very good at hiding that. Imagine if Taylor or someone else got evidence of that favouritism. Not only would we loose our jobs and probably our pensions, but I could be brought up on charges. You're angry. I'm sorry."

Andy hung his head to get control of his emotions, then looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah, I'm angry, but I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at the pressure you're feeling and I'm angry that Taylor is a jerk. Hell, I'm even angry we can't pretend ignorance because who would believe Sharon Raydor didn't know exactly what she was doing."

Sharon giggled at the image, and his smile got deeper.

"Okay, I've got an idea..." he said, quickly getting up and going behind her desk to rummage through the drawers. When he found the marker he was looking for, he sat down and banged a few things on her computer and printed the results. Getting the paper from the printer, he circled something in a thick red marker and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she said, looking at the page from a calendar.

"Remember way back when we started with the Department? We came in that same class that year, and started as fully trained Officers in August. Look at the date, Shar."

Looking more closely at the piece of paper, Sharon saw that the 20th day in the month of August was circled, then she saw the date on the paper was 2015. Written across the date was 'Someday'.

Tilting her head sideways, she gave him her most glorious smile. "That will be our 45th anniversary on the Force."

"Yup," he smiled, pulling her to her feet. "And if nothing else changes, that will be our Someday. Until then, you are going to have a full 45 years of courting, the longest on record, I'm betting. They wouldn't be able to touch us. And if anything happens to move that date forward, screw them. We can both retire out at any point and live by our laws instead."

Sharon smiled up at him. "Someday," she nodded, then pulled him towards her and gently kissed him on the lips, as only friends-who-will-be-lovers-some-day could.

**THE END**


End file.
